BPC 157 and glaucoma: what the rat studies show
A 2023 review pulls together BPC 157 research on glaucoma, retinal damage, and corneal injury. Consistent results in rats, with no human eye data yet.
Published . Updated
Summaries of published research for educational discussion. Not medical advice.
BPC 157 is a 15-amino-acid peptide derived from a protein found in gastric juice. It has a large following for its reputation in tissue repair, and a long list of animal studies behind that reputation. In 2023, the research group most associated with it published a review in Pharmaceuticals pulling together their work on the eye, including glaucoma. Here is what that review covers, and how much weight it can bear.
What the review is, and isn’t
This is a review, not a new experiment. It summarizes earlier rat studies, nearly all from Predrag Sikiric’s laboratory at the University of Zagreb, the group behind most published BPC 157 research. That context matters: when one group produces most of the evidence for a compound, independent replication is the obvious missing piece.
The eye models it summarizes
- Glaucoma: rats had three of the four episcleral veins (which drain fluid from the eye) cauterized, which raises intraocular pressure.
- Retinal ischemia: an injection behind the eye that cuts blood flow to the retina.
- Corneal injuries: full removal of the corneal surface layer, and perforating corneal wounds.
- Dry eye: removal of the tear-producing lacrimal gland.
- Pupil effects: drug-induced pupil dilation and constriction.
Reported results
Across these models, the review reports that BPC 157 brought intraocular pressure back to normal in the glaucoma model, preserved retinal ganglion cells (the neurons glaucoma destroys), counteracted retinal ischemia, sped up corneal healing while keeping the cornea clear, and helped normalize pupil size. The authors tie these effects to BPC 157’s proposed influence on blood vessels and nitric oxide signaling, a theme across their wider body of work.
What’s missing
- No human eye data. Everything in the review comes from rats.
- Little independent replication. Most underlying studies come from one lab.
- Unclear translation. Rat glaucoma models raise eye pressure quickly; human glaucoma usually develops slowly over years. Results in one don’t necessarily carry over.
- Regulatory status. BPC 157 isn’t an approved drug for any use. The FDA restricted it for pharmacy compounding in 2023, removed it from that restricted list in April 2026, and an FDA advisory committee narrowly voted in July 2026 to recommend allowing it in compounding. That recommendation isn’t final; see our explainer on the 2026 FDA peptide changes.
Bottom line
The rat data are interesting and fairly consistent within this one research program. Until other labs reproduce them and controlled human studies exist, BPC 157 for eye conditions remains a research hypothesis, not a treatment.
Sources
- Sikiric P, Kokot A, Kralj T, et al. Stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157: possible novel therapy of glaucoma and other ocular conditions. Pharmaceuticals. 2023;16(7):1052. doi:10.3390/ph16071052
- Frier Levitt. FDA to remove 12 popular peptides from the Category 2 “do not compound” list. 2026.
- Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society. FDA advisory committee backs two controversial peptides. July 23, 2026.